Our 5 Favorite British Restaurants in NYC

British food gets a bad rap in the states; most Americans think of beige, soggy fried foods with strange-sounding names when they think of English grub. This sterotype is largely unfair, and all the more reason New Yorkers need to get out and experience Anglo dishes like golden-battered fish, deep-fried Scotch eggs, and glorious meat pies.

Even if you’ve already been, chef April Bloomfield’s Spotted Pig gastropub deserves a second (and third and fourth) visit. If you’re not feeling the big-name British chef thing, there’s a handful of cozy neighborhood pubs with solid British beer selections and impeccable bar food. If you have yet to experienced NYC’s British dining scene, it’s time to get your spotted dick and mushy peas on.

Here are our five favorite British pubs and restaurants in NYC.

The Atlantic ChipShop

Address and phone: 129 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn (718-855-7775)
Website: chipshopnyc.com
Good for: Low-key neighborhood vibes; fish and chips
This is the no-frills, lively British pub with great food you wish existed in your neighborhood (unless you actually live in Brooklyn Heights, in which case, congrats). The main draw here, besides the selection of local and British beers on tap, is the battered cod (or haddock, if you prefer) served with meaty, golden chips and housemade tartare sauce. The bar reps hard for the ridiculous fried-food traditions of the U.K.; there's fried macaroni and cheese, which is as absurd and satisfying as it sounds, alongside deep-fried Twinkies, Mars Bars, and Cadbury Creme Eggs. The English band posters and nationalistic memorabilia on the walls would make any homesick Brit feel right at home.—Erin MosbaughOrder this: Cod fish and chips, shepherd's pie, mushroom mac and cheese, fried mac and cheese (especially if you're really hungover), cask ale

The Shakespeare

Address and phone: 24 East 39th St (646-837-6779)
Website:theshakespearenyc.comGood for: Escaping from Midtown into a sixteenth-century British countryside-style pub
This faux-rustic tavern in the basement of The William hotel is a welcome escape from Midtown, and a great spot to grab a pint and some British pub grub after work. The Shakespeare nails classics like meat pies and bangers and mash, which you can chase with a solid selection of cask ales. On a recent visit, the "pie of the day" featured chicken, oyster mushrooms, and an impeccably flaky crust. It's difficult to resist getting multiple orders of the Scotch eggs, molten at the core and wrapped in juicy sausage underneath the deep-fried shell. If you're feeling fancy—and don't feel like eating dinner amongst suited businesspeople watching sports—head upstairs to The Peacock. The restaurant, which shares a chef and kitchen with The Shakespeare, is modeled after a nineteenth-century English gentleman's club.—Erin MosbaughOrder this: Scotch egg, chicken liver and foie gras parfait, minted mushy peas, bangers and mash, pie of the day, sticky toffee and date pudding

Jones Wood Foundry

Address and phone: 401 E 76th St (212-249-2700)
Website:joneswoodfoundry.comGood for: The city's deepest collection of British classics
Piggybacking on April Bloomfield's campaign to make English food cool, chef Jason Hicks does Blighty proud with smart execution of all the greatest dishes from the U.K. canon—from plump Meyers of Keswick sausages on a bed of mash, to lesser-known Anglo dishes like kedgeree (rice pilaf featuring hunks of smoked haddock and boiled egg tossed with saffron and curry sauce). The homey backroom, kitted out with Shakespeare tomes on the shelves and pheasant-emblazoned placemats, is atmospheric without devolving into kitsch, and the front bar is surely the Upper East Side's finest perch for nursing a pint of London pride. As if to keep up with Bloomfield's pace-setting downtown at the Spotted Pig, Hicks also turns out a serious burger, flavor-blasted with funky dry-aged beef and Stilton cheese.—Chris SchonbergerOrder this: Fish and chips, bangers and mash, savory pies, burger, kedgeree, full English breakfast, housemade crumpets with lemon curd

The Spotted Pig

Address and phone: 314 W 11th St (212-620-0393)
Website:thespottedpig.comGood for: A quintessential New York night
A decade after it first opened its doors, the Spotted Pig continues to be one of the city's most coveted hot spots, where no amount of scene-humping can overshadow the fact that April Bloomfield can cook her ass off. The restaurant that introduced the concept of the "gastropub" to New Yorkers isn't overtly English—the best dish is the sheep’s-milk ricotta gnudi, and the most famous is a big, juicy burger that's Anglicized only by the addition of stinky cheese. Yet from the mugs of cask-conditioned Spotted Pig Bitter, to unfussy drinking snacks like chicken liver toast and Devils on Horseback (made with PG Tips!), there's an unmistakable streak of Britishness that infuses the place. Interminable waits aside, it's tough to not love a place where you can eat top-shelf offal while slyly sneaking photos of Jay and Bey sneaking up the back stairwell.—Chris SchonbergerOrder this: Burger, ricotta gnudi, chicken liver toast, devils on horseback, pan-roasted skate

Brick Lane Curry House

Address and phone: Various locations
Website:bricklanecurryhouse.com
Good for: Curry night
Fish and chips may be what comes to mind when most people think of British food, but in reality, the quintessential English dish is a chicken tikka masala after a few jars at the pub. Anglo-Indian food is its own genre of subcontinental cooking, characterized by heavy cream sauces, a penchant for fried appetizers like onion bhajis, and laughably hot curries like vindaloo and phaal. Brick Lane, which takes its name from East London's historic Indian restaurant row, has all the stuff that will pull on the heart strings of korma-loving expat. Stick to the curry-house classics—lamb jalfrezi, chicken vindaloo, aloo gobi—and wash it all down with an absurdly tall bottle of Kingfisher. If you want to get stupid, you can take on the phaal challenge—if you finish the searingly spicy dish, you get a free bottle of beer and a "certificate of honour" (just don't forget to put a roll of toilet paper in the freezer). But if you're more into acts of gluttony than masochism, hit up the generous lunch buffet.—Chris SchonbergerOrder this: Samosas, seekh kebabs, chicken tikka masala, vindaloo, jalfrezi, aloo gobi

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